the status of computerized medical records in selected hospitals of ahvaz, isfahan and shiraz

introduction: the manual and paper-based process of production and storage of medical records in iran have led to difficulties in filing and retrieval of the medical records. one of the usual solutions is using computerized medical records via electronic storage of paper-based medical records. the aim of this study was to recognize using computerized medical records in nine selected hospitals. methods: in an observational, descriptive study, 9 hospitals in ahvaz, isfahan and shiraz that used electronic storage method to store their medical records were evaluated. data was collected by a checklist and a questionnaire whose validity and reliability have been previously confirmed. direct observation and semi-structured interviews were conducted for data collection. data was analyzed using descriptive statistics. results: using computerized medical records have advantages such as accelerating storage and retrieval of medical records, costs reduction of medical records maintenance, and improving the security of patients' information in the studied hospitals. the most important challenges observed in using computerized medical records were lack of proper infrastructure, using inappropriate hardware equipments, existence of different software systems and lack of data integration. conclusion: overall, the results of this study showed that the use of computerized medical records in hospitals can enhance the retrieval and access to medical records and help solve the problem of space shortage in medical record departments.